Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Pours a straw yellow with a head that trails the glass. The scent is full of pine from the hops. The taste was fantastic with a focus on the hops, but with a nice balance with the malt to create an exceptionally clean finish. Great focus and execution of the style. Loved it right away. (286 characters)

Pours hazy golden, one finger fluffy white head, with nice strips of carbonation. Looks like a lager indeed, but not entirely.Great smell! Nice balance of citrusy green hops (tropical notes too) and caramel biscuity malts, like in a Munich helles. Hops are aromatic, not overwhelming. Should be great.Okay, so, the malts are light, with some caramel and biscuit notes, and not as robust as an ale would be. Still, rich, but rather "fluffy", like boiled grains. Sweet hoppy fruitiness, with sweet oranges and tangerines, mild grapefruit, tropical lychee and pineapple, big floral notes and also prickly spicy hops. Great green leafy finish, with pine, mild bitterness.Light body, but not watery, actually very very smooth, again, "fluffy". Dry finish with a green fresh hoppy aftertaste. Also, 6.7? Where?!Overall, feels like a more crisp American IPA, with a German malt base and perfectly balanced hops. Extremely drinkable (watch out for the abv) and tasty. (963 characters)

T: The taste starts out with a nice burst of grassy hops bitterness followed by some citrus and caramel sweetness. Then there is some breadiness from lager yeast and a hearty but not too heavy malt character to create a very good balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

O: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, decent kick, very good variation of style, this is an excellent beer with plenty of flavor and substance to make it worth pounding down for a whole evening. (844 characters)

Huge thanks to Reagan1984 for getting this growler out my way. Served in a mug since I've packed all my lager glassware pre-move.

Pours a clear light golden color with a nice white head and some spotty lacing as it goes down. Thin collar throughout. The nose brings some nice tropical fruits with a bit of citrus and resin there as well. The flavor profile is along the same line and is really fantastic. Beautiful fruits and a nice hoppiness throughout. Moderate bitterness throughout and a dry finish. Body is fairly light. Finish is fantastic. This is a very, very impressive beer. (586 characters)

This was poured for me at Jacks Abby, and I brought this growler home and poured a chimay goblet full of Hoponius Union.

I'd say this is in the Dortmunder Export style, but with the distinct hoppiness of an IPA. Unlike any in the Dortmund style due to its unusual amount of hoppiness.

The look:Hoponius had a nice one finger of head, which was light and creamy-looking. Almost fluffy. Light golden color and small bubbles rising.

The sniff:Super floral, grapefruity, zesty, and pine aromas. The amarillo hops are evident in the bouquet.

The taste:Hit hard by the crisp floral bitterness, again, very floral, sharp and bitter at first, followed by light sweetness. Mouthfeel, very soft and creamy. Carbonation is mild. So well balanced, the blend of hops creates a complex world of flavors that are not overwhelming, though the dominant flavor seems to come from the Amarillo hops.

I received this as an extra from Gogriz (thanks Cody!). It was an unlabeled 12oz bottle, filled expressly for him (not distributed). Talk about a cool extra!

It pours a clear light copper color with a few fingers of frothy foam. The aroma is really hoppy for a lager. In fact I recently tried an Indian Pale Lager and it didn't smell quite as hoppy as this beer. Simcoe I believe, resiny with a splash of cat urine.

It tastes as good as it smells, and its actually pretty hard to tell its a lager. A touch of initial sweetness turns into a manageable bitterness in the aftertaste. Very well constructed, this was smooth and flavorful. I could definitely go for a whole lot more of this beer, surprised I never heard of it before. I'll have to try to stop here sometime in the future! (785 characters)

Dank, citrusy hop aroma hits before the pour is done. Definitely some major American hopping going on in here. I can smell a resiny bouquet drifting somewhere between lemon zest and pine trees. Absolutely no input from the malt.

First sip is a hop explosion on my taste buds. Fresh and incredibly crisp, the hops take center stage. The hop flavor is sharp and bright - there is a lot of piney dankness going on here. I double check the description that reads "tropical" but there is nothing tropical about this, all pine trees like simcoe hops with a touch of citrus.

Then as I adjust to the bitterness I can tell what makes this an IPL and not an IPA - total lack of yeasty esters that I normally take for granted. Its like pulling aside a curtain and seeing the wizard of water behind. Normally I can't tell much about the water used to brew, but this beer has a mineral hardness to it with a slight touch of salt. It seems to stiffen up the hop bitterness and accentuate it.

Clean, delicious and refershing. Love the idea of an IPL. It's almost like performing without a safety next because there is no fruity ale yeast esters to cover up any inbalances. Great beer and would buy again. (1,323 characters)

Smell: Potent hops of a high end IPA, with notes of mango, lemon, melon, maybe some grapefruit. West coast American hops all the way. Stays satisfying for the life of the glass.

When you make a beer with an obscene amount of hops, you're going for an aroma like this.

Taste: Wow, what the nose delivers in hops, the taste delivers in malt. What a malt character; so many different notes of cereal grains, breadiness, etc. A tutorial on how many different, delicious flavors can be extracted from pale malt.

So good. One of those, "if you don't appreciate how good this is--whether the particular hop flavors are to your liking or not--you need to reevaluate your thoughts on beer, or check your palate or something."

Mouthfeel: Light side of medium bodied. Moderate to high carbonation. Crisp feel with a dryish finish.

Overall: Damn, this is a great beer. Jack's Abby is now emphatically on my radar. You don't make something like this without serious brewing skills.

If my friend can get me fresh 4packs, this beer is going to be a Summer staple in my fridge. (1,656 characters)

Pours a hazy golden straw body beneath the fluffy, pure white head that very patiently dissolves to leave a scattered sticky lacing.

Tremendous fresh citrus and pine hop aromas waft from the glass with compliments of sweet pineapple and grass.

The palate is equally hoppy and packed with pungent flavors of pine and sweet citrus hops. The hops are explosive on the palate and absolutely fantastic and the more I enjoy it the more the pine flavors come forward.

Medium in both body and carbonation with a sharp drying finish and ever present hops throughout.

Can't say I've ever had a beer quite like this. The flavor and aroma are tremendous. (647 characters)

pours a more or less opaque golden hue with a generous frothy head. Smells strongly of citrussy hops- orangey, floraly and mildly piney notes- west coast inspired I assume. Defiantly pick up on the yeasty lager components here. Citrus hops hit first while the piney notes come in the background, not an overly bitter hop profile and finishes with a clean and refreshing lager characteristic. Mild alcohol presence, carbonation is on point and an overall very clean IPL. On the whole this is a very well crafted IPL that certainly makes me want to come back for more. (566 characters)

Pours a completely clear golden color. There is a thin head that develops, maybe a half a finger, but it sticks around. Excellent, sticky lacing is left on the glass. Very clean looking beer.

The hops coming from the nose are unlike anything I've had from a beer of the style. There is a huge citrus hop aroma along with a bit of tropical fruit coming through. Some orange and grapefruit lead the way with a touch of some pine. Not much malt in the nose.

The taste is excellent. More tropical fruit in the taste, mango comes to mind, than in the nose but it's still citrus forward. Grapefruit is present as is bit of pine. There is a subtle sweetness from some biscuity malt, not enough to balance the hops, but enough to let you know it's a heavily hopped lager and not an IPA. The finish is very dry with a moderate bitterness.

Medium body with carbonation to match but it feels much lighter. It's crisp and very clean. It's actually surprising how light this one feels on the palette.

This is an excellent beer. If it didn't say it was a lager on the bottle (or the tap list when I've had it on draft), I would think it was an IPA or a highly hopped APA. It drinks very clean and seems to have no room for error. The fact that it's as good as it is shows the craftsmanship that has been put into it. Definitely a beer I'll be returning to over and over. (1,403 characters)

A- Deep golden body with just a hint of amber. Mostly transparent, but a slight haze to it. Big, foamy, frothy white head that leaves a mess of sticky lacing behind.

S- Herbal hops with some citrus and tropical fruit undertones. Slight hint of toasted bread is there too, just behind the hops.

T- Very nice hop flavors come through first, with the herbal characteristics there, followed by zesty citrus and hints of mango and tropical fruit flavors. The toasty malt comes through enough to balance the big bitter hops.

M- Medium bodied, with a lot of stickiness to it. Medium carbonation and easy to drink.

This beer pours a beautiful light copper color, with a nice two fingers of white head. The head evaporated pretty quickly, and the remaining surface had a nice glossy sheen.

Smell is awesomely hoppy, very sweet and floral. Its a big, beautiful hop aroma with hints of citrus.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, feels more substantial than a typical ale.

Taste is big- hoppy and bitter, but not over the top. It's clearly unbalanced towards the hops, and this is a great thing. It's very bright and crisp, with a touch of citrus, and a hint of spice. The Citra, Amarillo, and Centennial hops create a truly unique hop profile that is big on taste and surprisingly light on the bitter.

I loved this beer. Its huge on hop smell and taste, and very modest on the bitter side. There is something to be said for locally brewed beer that is made with great skill, quality ingredients, and an adventurous brewer. (902 characters)

T: Grapefruit, oranges, mango, pineapple followed by a huge wave of pine. Big hop bomb. Only a hint of a bready malt following all of the hop flavors but it's enough to balance out the bitterness decently.

M: Medium bodied, crisp.

O: Great brew. It's like one of the best IPAs I can think of, but it has the smoothness and drinkability of a lager. It's the best of both worlds. Really tasty and goes down easy. What else could you ask for? (684 characters)

Light and refreshing, yet unrefined, in a good way. Dry finish kicks you with a wallop of bitterness. Heavy carbonation sightly distracts from the high points of the brew. Citrus is sweet with pleasant, refreshing, bitterness.

Ah, yes. Perfect for IPA day.. I guess it is an IPL, but whose counting?? Refreshing for a hot summer day. A (near) perfect example of an IPL. Great style, becoming one of my favorite. Highly recommended. (619 characters)

500ml bottle 6,7% Abv. Served chilled in an over sized wine glass. No bottle date visible.

Thanks to gn0sis for this amazing extra!

Appearance: Hoponius (I think this will have to be the name of my next cat) pours a lightly hazed, bright golden-orange, while a standard pour yields a massive, creamy, off white head. The head lasts fantastically and leaves thick clumps of lacing clinging to the glass as it slowly recedes.

Smell: Mmmm, this smells amazing - Eric must have grabbed this one directly off of the bottling line as the nose is still bursting with hops! Fruity hops dominate the first few sniffs, with notes of orange, lemon, tangerine, paw-paw and traces of mango, pineapple and granadilla. As the beer begins to open up, herbal, resinous and floral hop characters also become apparent. The combination of the floral character and the sweet citrus yields a distinct orange blossom aroma. As the beer approaches room temperature, some underlying biscuity malt is noted.

Overall: Hoponius is the first India pale lager I have had and it was absolutely fantastic. The crispness derived from the lager yeast certainly make this one of the most refreshing beers around. It was 40 degrees Celsius today and this just hit the spot - I would kill for this to be my summer staple. (1,727 characters)

A: Pours a clear golden yellow with a nice big white head that fades to a ring leaving tons of lacing on the glass.

S: The nose is akin to a big IPA rather than a Lager but it smells amazing. There are a ton of hops in the form of tropical fruits and a bit of pine as well as some nice malty and grain aromas as well.

T: The taste doesn't disappoint either. Big flavors of tropical fruits and pine along with sweet malt and grains. This is a super hoppy yet very balanced beer. The finish is not overly bitter like an IPA but rather very smooth like a lager should be. It's very impressive to get the best of both worlds here.

M: The feel is crisp yet creamy from the carbonation.

O: I was not expecting much as this was an extra in a trade but it blew my mind. Crazy good and highly recommended. (827 characters)

Smells--like a hop-forward lager should--like raw hops, no esters or yeast or any of the other stuff I usually like to talk about but the beer denizens ignore. Taste very much the same, but thankfully the hop profile is as moderate as it is excellent, and so it does a fine enough job of balancing itself. Big nodes of grapefruit, passionfruit, and dried potpourri flowers. No super high alpha cat pee or pine nodes, though, since they'd probably be too much without any clear malt presence cutting into them.

The beer comes in an extremely clear light reddish amber color with a fluffy white head with lacing.

The aroma has tropical of mango, tangerine and orange peel, grapefruit, some spicy pine needles, very hoppy. Lots of fruit. A bit of a bready malt. A wonderful West Coast fruity aroma.

The flavor is extremely hoppy with that tropical and citrus of grapefruit and lemon peel in the front. A bit of a light bready malt. Then onto a very spicy and grapefruit peel finish. There’s some Earth and green vegetable flavor in the finish as well as that lager, slightly metallic, note. Tons of grapefruit peel that continues on and on.

The beer is super refreshing, drinkable, and clean, but also so hoppy. (703 characters)

S - The smell is amazingly hoppy! Hops smell of tropical fruits like pineapple, and some earthiness. Very inviting.

T/M - The taste has a nice hoppiness in the beginning, a crisp malt middle, and a great hop resin aftertaste. Getting more of the tropical fruits as well in the aftertatse. The mouthfeel is light/medium. Crisp like a good lager, and good carbonation.

O - This is a great IPA/lager combination! If I did a blind taste, I would call this an IPA. The only thing preventing this from being DIPA status is the lighter mouthfeel and alcohol content. A really solid beer that I had my doubts about, but was proven wrong very quickly. I would grab this one all day long if it was available in my area, but sadly it's not. So a big thanks to Jageraholic for letting me expierence this great brew! Great extra, cheers to you my friend! (1,096 characters)

A: Pours a golden orange color with a little more than a fingers worth of head that has great retention

S: Extremely hoppy, with huge notes of citrus and light pine. Very fruity as well. Malts barely come through

T: Again, very hoppy. More of a fruitiness come through than just general citrus hops, with light pine and peppery spice notes as well. The malt does a nice job backing up the hops, much more so than in the nose. Finishes crisp and lightly bitter

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

O: An impressively hoppy lager with huge aromas of citrus and a crisp, balanced taste. Great price point to boot. More than worthy of a purchase (671 characters)

My, oh my have Jack's Abby gone ahead and revolutionized the craft beer world or what? Okay, okay maybe I'm giving them a little too much credit, but one must admit, they have crafted an excellent beer that offers a nice, unique blend between two popular types of beer - an IPA and a Lager. Ladies and gentleman, my I announce to you on behalf of Jack's Abby, the IPL.

Imagine the citrusy hoppiness of an IPA, but with the crispness of a lager. The smell alone will make you think your drinking an IPA, yet the aftertaste will reward you with the refreshing, crisp wetness that comes along with a lager.

The flavor is certainly citrusy, slightly piney, and even a bit grapefruitey from time to time. With what tastes like centennial hops, or something similar to it (perhaps cascade), one will feel they are drinking a light-bodied IPA.

Even the color bears similar resemblance, giving a nice hazy yellow-amber color with a small, creamy head at top.

I’ll be blunt and open with the end of this review - Hoponius Union is exceptional. Jack’s Abby has certainly taken a step in the right direction with this beer, and other breweries could certainly learn from their ideas. (1,183 characters)